Dead Roses Still Have Sharp Thorns
by PrimeLaughter
Summary: Originally I had all these Eric and Alan oneshots as seperate stories. Now I am mashing them all togther to create one big, amazingful series of oneshots. All are really random and come to me on whim. Lots of fluff. And when I say lots of fluff, I don't mean two pillows worth. I mean at least five semi-truckloads full! At the VERY least.
1. Chapter 1

******Disclaimer: Hahaha I don't even own my lamp. There is no way I could own these two. I do, though, own every word of these fics. Do not steal. 'Cause I will find you. And that would be bad for you.**

******This is mainly so you can get to these all at once. Sorry if it is a bit confusing at first!**

******All will be a bit fluffy. I love fluff.**

******So, whithout further ado, the first chapter!**

___Your Snowflake_

* * *

The fluffy white flecks fell to the ground in a seemingly random procession.

"What are you up to, Alan?"

"Wondering."

"Oh? What about?"

"The snow."

"Hm?"

"A crystal of frozen water. But there is so much more to it than that," he replied lucidly, turning to face him. "Always the same, yet always so different."

He flicked his bright green eyes out into the arching boughs of the pines.

"Snow is more than snow. I see millions of little lives. So easily extinguished, yet floating carefree. They remind me of humans. Lives so easily snuffed out, but they remain so facinating."

"Hm."

"Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you stay around? Most everyone else goes away after a while. I feel things I shouldn't, I guess."

A tiny white dot collided with another on its way to earth. Instead of breaking apart, they stuck together, keeping each other company on their imminant crash to the ground.

"I can't quite explain it. You draw me in like nobody else does. I love when you have one of these moments where you seem to take a step back from our version of reality into your own plane of existance. The things you say. The things you do. You are different from all the rest, yet similar at the same time."

Not taking his eyes off the snow, Alan replied "I think of you as a snowflake too."

"What?"

"You seem so much like any one else at first glance, but, upon closer inspection, you are so beautifully different."

Eric smiled to himself.

"Alan."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, nothing."

"What?" He asked, turning to face him. As he did, as Eric knew he would, he captured Alan's lips in his own.

"I love your snowflake too, Alan. It stands out beautifully. The whitest, brightest, crispest one of them all. Lit with an eternal glow that cannot be described." Alan's lips tilted upwards slightly. "Yes, I suppose I have gotten it now."

"What exactly have you gotten?"

"You," He pulled him close, resting his chin on the top of his head. "And that is enough for me."


	2. Umbrella

_Umbrella_

* * *

"The rain is so cold." Alan whispered to himself. He tilted his head back, eyes squeezed shut, allowing the icy droplets to stream down his cheeks. "It is as if the clouds are crying."

He opened his eyes, looking down at his hands.

"Why are the clouds sad?" He asked, turning. Eric stood there, eyes widening slightly as he recognized the reaper before him.

"Why are you standing in the rain, Alan?"

"I am keeping the clouds company," he replied simply.

"You'll catch a cold if you just let yourself just stand about in the rain like that!"

He turned his face back to the weeping sky.

"Why are the clouds so sad?" He asked again, eyes shut tightly against the downpour.

"I don't... I... Alan... Come inside!"

When he didn't move, he took the younger reaper gently by his shoulders. "Alan... You are soaking wet! How long have you been standing out here?"

He quickly shed his jacket and draped it over Alan's slim shoulders, shielding them from the icy droplets.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and seemed to notice Eric for the first time.

"Eric!"

Alan embraced him tightly, squeezing his eyes closed. Water streamed down his face still, mixing with the tears. That was one thing he loved about the rain; nobody could tell if you were hurting.

But Eric could, and he hugged the younger man close, knowing that was all he needed. They stood together in the downpour of cloud tears, holding each other against the storm. And that was all they really needed.

Alan pulled his face out of Eric's chest, gemlike droplets littering his long eyelashes. His clear green eyes blinked up at him, his lips parting to utter a few soft words.

"Eric," he stated. "You're all wet."

His laugh rang out against the roar of the rain and he leaned down to capture Alan's soft lips in his own for a moment before leading him inside, bringing him shelter from the storm.

One storm of many, and to all he would be there, to bring him inside into the warmth. Eric wound always be a jacket to his rain, and a comfort to his pain. He promised Alan this with every little glance, with ever gently caress and with every single kiss. He was always going to be there, standing in the downpour of icy tears with a warming smile and, in one hand, an umbrella.


	3. Night Terrors

_Night Terrors_

* * *

"Eric?"  
The dark and the cold  
wrapped around his waist,  
chilling him to the very core.  
"Eric!"  
He whispered louder,  
bare feet sliding  
across  
the hardwood floor.  
"Eric, please wake up!"  
He called, voice louder still  
Trying to let him hear,  
Over the creaking  
Of the mill.  
"Eric, don't leave me here!"  
He screamed  
Calling out in fear.  
He really shouldn't  
Ever  
Have come here.  
"Alan"  
Came a creaking wall  
Looking like  
It would fall.  
"Alan, please wake up"  
Called the  
support beams  
Looking about to  
bust their seams.  
"Alan, baby, come back to me"  
Cried an  
Old, fallen tree.  
"Eric, Eric! Is that you?"  
"Please, please wake up."  
The world around his slim frame  
Began to quake and shiver  
The entire thing crumbled down  
Burying him, light not a sliver.  
A hand shook his shoulder bare  
A new light began to glare.  
A voice was calling  
A voice so tender  
Calling him back to the living  
"Alan, shh... It's ok now.  
It was all just a dream.  
Not need for you to fret,  
No need for you to scream.  
I'm here for you  
I won't ever go.  
Alan, my Alan,  
I love you so."

Quietly, in the windy night  
In the dark,  
A young man

had a fright.  
His lover came  
By candle flame,  
To scare the  
night terrors

away.


	4. Of Love, Life and Ants

_Of Love, Life and Ants_

* * *

"Why do they bother living?" Questioned the small shinigami, crouching down in the grass.

"Hm?"

"They die so easily. Why bother living at all?"

A tiny black procession marched dinner home for their queen like the devoted servants they are.

"For love, I suppose."

Alan stood up besides his mentor.

"Eric?"

"Mm."

"Why do you live?"

The shiny little ants made their way home, handling their goods with care.

"Alan."

"Yes?"

"That is my answer."

"'Alan?'"

Eric nodded, not taking his eyes off the ants.

"Do you live for love?"

"Yes, I suppose you could say that."

"I don't know what I live for."

A fly buzzed past their faces, swirling aimlessly through the sky.

"Alan?"

"Yes, Eric?"

"Do you live for love?

A small moth fluttered close to the ground erratically, its short life nearing an end.

"I think I do."

"Have you found it yet?"

Slim arms pulled a larger, broader body into a hug.

"Yes."

Eric lifted his companion up, cradling him against his chest.

"Eric?"

"Yes?"

"Have you found love?"

He pressed his lips against Alan's soft ones.

"Yes."


	5. Silence's Whispers

****_Silence's Whispers_

* * *

"Such a lonely death, all by himself."

"It was by his own hands."

"Yes, I guess that was all the people he needed."

"Hmm"

The wind lightly tugged at their clothes. She whispered in their ears, sending light shivers down their spines. She kissed their cheeks, running her fingers through their hair.

"Suppose he wanted someone there? To stop him. Maybe to comfort him during his passing."

The sun dipped lower over the horizon, making way for his sister; moon. The two could never get along, they always had to be in separate parts of the sky. The two shinigami stood side by side as sun cast his last few flickers of light over the world.

"Is this how it feels to be human?" Alan asked, twisting his hands while staring at the body before him.

"I suppose," was Eric's response.

"There is a certain feel to it all. Life, I mean."

"Hmm?"

"Lonely. If one never finds their other half. But so beautiful at the same time."

"Huh."

Sister moon peeked over the hills. She rapidly danced her way into the sky, happy to give her soft light to those below.

"It's peculiar. That is the word. Unpredictable."

"I guess you're right."

The stars followed in their her path, swirling and dancing. Lighting up the dark places their mother's light simply could not reach.

"Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"Suppose things were different."

"How do you mean?"

"What if sun and moon got along?"

"What do you mean?"

"Would they stand in the sky together, or would they stay apart, simply to give their light to those unable to live without it? Would they abandon duty for companionship?"

Night hugged the two men close to her chest like the mother she could never be. She sang sweet songs in their ears and caressed their cheeks, wishing for a child of her own.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Thats ok. Not many people do. But then again, not many people care listen, either. If you try really hard, you can hear infertile night lament over her inability to have children. If you really try, you can see her sad face light up, showering her love on you. If you really try, you can feel her arms encircle you in the dark, in place of the children she will never bear."

Silence brushed their lips with his own as the two men considered the words just spoken.

"I don't know if I will ever be able to see the way you do, Alan."

The taller reached over and pulled the smaller to his chest, speaking into his hair quietly.

"I may not be able to, but I can try."

The two men held each other close, two parts completing a whole. Quiet words turned to feathery kisses, soft as moon's light. Muted feeling were uncovered, bright as sun's warmth. Feint stirrings blossomed to completion, as true as night's love. Lonely caresses squeezed tighter, as gently as silences' touch.

No words were needed, just the other, there and then.


	6. The True Meaning of Soulmate

_The True Meaning of Soulmate_

* * *

"Why do they try to be different? They will all end up in the same position anyways."

"Hmm?"

"Humans," Alan replied distractedly, picking at the hem of his jacket. "They constantly try to be different from each other."

"Yes, but don't we all in our own little way?"

"Humans, to them, the word individuality does not mean the same as it does to you or I. You might style your hair or tie differently than the rest. Humans, they say they want to find themselves. What is there to find? Are they under the impression the have lost something?"

The waves crashed upon the beach, rolling upon the sand and dragging some back to the sea, changing the terrain. Always changing; never quite the same twice.

"Suppose they have lost something." Eric's words could barely be heard over the mumbling of the waves.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Suppose their souls are constantly searching for that something to complete them; their soul mate."

A little rock tumbled through the surf, swept along by the strong current. It crashed into another stone, both traveling with the flow in the same direction.

"Do we have soul mates?" Aslan asked quietly, "After all, they say we aren't even supposed to have souls."

Eric pondered the question for a moment before pulling Alan onto his lap.

"They say we don't. Possess souls, I mean. I have to disagree. I believe we are nothing more THAN souls. I believe we, the Shinigami, are really those souls of humans that are able to enter neither Heaven nor Hell. I think those dreams we have are really just memories of our former life and of our death."

Alan paused to think about the words Eric just spoke.

"If that is the case, then wouldn't 'soulmate' have a whole new level of meaning?"

"I suppose so."

Alan gently placed his lips over Eric's for a moment before murmuring "I think I have found mine."

Eric wrapped his arms around Alan's waist, pulling him in for another kiss before replying.

"Me too."


	7. Your Song- Easter

**Yeah, I know it is late. I haven't had a chance to do ANYTHING in such a long time... Sorry everybody!**

* * *

"What a curious time," Alan remarked airily, swinging his legs back and forth over the edge of a cliff.

"What are you talking about?" Eric replied nervously, ready to grab him if he were to fall.

"What the humans call Easter."

The wind wrestled with Alan's hair, tugging it to the side.

"Oh?"

Alan stood up, toes curling over the edge, eyes closed.

"What is it like, family? Coming together for a morning of friendship and love with your own kin?"

"I wouldn't really know. You are all the family I have."

Alan stepped back and turned to face Eric, emerald gems sparkling with hidden emotion. Emotion he shouldn't even feel.

"Don't you ever wish for more?"

"I don't know."

"You never get lonely? You never feel that ache in you chest, empty and starving?"

"Alan..."

Eric reached out and pulled the smaller shinigami in for a hug.

"Why would I ever wish to be fed if I am full right now?"

Alan smiled slightly and hugged him back before turning back to the edge, arms outstretched.

"I wish I could fly."

"We all do."

"I can."

"What?"

"I could. Just for a few seconds. I could jump and I would fly free for a few brief moments."

Eric's eyes widened in fear. He reached out and pulled Alan away from the edge.

"I would have to fly with you, then."

"Why? You have so many other prettier birds waiting in line for you. Would you really give up your wings for a plain bird like me?"

"I couldn't bear existing without you. If your song were to end, I don't know what I would do. Despite what you think, you are the prettiest bird of them all."

Alan looked up, confusion on his face.

"I am so ordinary looking. Why would you stop singing if I did? I have muddy hair and dull eyes. There is nothing pretty about me, unlike all the other birds begging for your attentions."

"Alan, oh you silly, silly Alan. You are beautiful. Your eyes sparkle with inner life. Your caramel hair glows. Your figure is perfect. Your face is stunning. Even more amazing is your heart. Your voice. These are what really define a person, and yours blow me away like nobody else's ever would. I could never be happy with any other bird. Ever."

Alan let secret tears well up in her eyes as he buried his face in Eric's chest.

"This is why I love you, you know." Alan said quietly, so Eric could barely hear over the whistling winds.

He didn't have to say it any louder. He didn't even have to say it at all. Eric knew, like he always did, what Alan was thinking. He could understand what he meant unlike anybody else.

Alan knew that Eric didn't need to hear many words. So much could be said in a simple glance or gesture. He knew that he would understand, even if he never spoke a word.

And this is why their songs intertwined so. Pretty enough on their own, but together, a masterpiece of beauty, joy and passion.


	8. Last Notes

Alan stood over the cot, ghosting his fingertips over the baby's soft cheek.

"Everyone has a song," He murmured. "They all start out so similar, songs, but grow and develop into something unique and beautiful."

"Alan?" Eric asked as he walked into the room. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't take his eyes off the sleeping baby.

"New and fresh as a summer's day."

"Ah. Talking to a human baby. It can't hear you, you know. None of them can."

"No," Alan said softly.

"What?"

"She knows. She hears and sees. She understands."

"Alan, I don't think-"

"One day your song will end, as everybody's does. Make sure to sing it clearly and brightly every day, so as not to waste a single note." Alan interrupted, talking to the baby again.

"Alan?"

"Everybody's song starts the same. Our song will always be as delicate as a baby's."

Eric did not reply. He knew Alan was having a moment induced by the effects of his deadly disease.

"Your song is new and bright. Sing happily, and don't waste your notes. They are very few now."

Understanding struck Eric. He placed a hand on Alan's shoulder, standing besides the smaller reaper. They watched as the tiny infant struggled to take in air.

"Your song is ending now." Alan said quietly. "It was a short song, but such a beautiful one."

Eric held Alan close as the baby's breathing slowed, then stopped. Soon, the house would find a cold child waiting for them.

"They never even heard her song," Alan said quietly. "They never really listened."

"You heard it," Eric replied.

"Yes," Alan smiled sadly. "I heard it, and so did she, and it was beautiful."


	9. A Flame in the Dark

**A small figure ran through the dark maze. He was lost, yet on the right trail. Shadows snagged at him, dragging him down. **

He didn't scream as the cold snaked up his legs. Who would hear? He was alone, in the dark. Smothered by an unseeable force. Unseen, but named.

Terror.

He rounded a bend and a voice called out; called out from a faraway land.

"Alan!"

His eyes widened, but he continued running. He couldn't ever slow.

"Help me," He whispered pitifully.

He rounded another bend and stopped at a dead end. Stopped to a knife in his back. He crumpled, pain rippling through his body, moans escaping his lips.

A scream tore through the quiet night. A slender frame was crushed in a warm embrace, steadying the shaking.

"Alan, it was another dream. You're ok now."

"Always... So... Terrible. Why are they always... about death?"

"I think you dream for all of us. You hold our memories. Us, the other lost souls. We forgot. We let our memories float away, and you caught them."

Alan drew in on himself, hugging Eric tightly.

"It was do dark. So dark and so cold..." Alan clutched Eric's shirt in his fists, as if to hold off the darkness.

"Without the dark, there could be no light." When his only response was to hold Eric tighter, shivering harder, he added softly into Alan's hair "You are a flame. I am drawn to you for everything you can give me, such as warmth. And yet, there is something else. I am captivated by that flame; I could watch it forever. In the light, you are pretty. Against the dark, you are magnificent. Without that darkness, a fire could not burn."

Alan slowly let himself slide back into a dreamless sleep, cocooned in the warm arms of the only one to care for his flame. He tended to him, feeding him warm words and soft kisses. Eric stoked him higher and brighter and watched, enraptured, as he brushed the sky with his fingertips.

Eric was right, after all. Without darkness, the light couldn't shine.


	10. Famous First Words

**"Why do they say 'famous last words'?"**

"I'm really not quite sure."

A silence fell between them, but not an uncomfortable one. Silence can carry more meaning than words. Words can be used to fill the empty space trust and friendship leave if they aren't there. This silence held their trust and their love.

"Why not 'famous first?'" Alan tilted his head to look back at Eric, who walked behind him.

"That is a good question."

He turned back to the path before him, concentrating in his steps.

"That is what I would say."

"Hm?"

"Famous first."

Eric paused a beat to find the proper response.

"You are a different kind of person, though."

Alan hopped over a small log that lay on the trail.

"What do you mean?"

"You dare to think what no one else does."

Alan didn't reply to that. He was lost in thought; one of those moments when his mind truly isn't there.

Eric could see this and knew it was best to just let him talk. Not only could he do nothing else, but Alan would say the most interesting things.

"Once upon a time," Alan said, misty eyes upon the clouds.

"Huh?"

"Famous first words; Once Upon a Time."

Eric pondered this before answering.

"Yes, I suppose they are."

They continued walking, Alan swinging his arms like a child. His coat waved in the warm spring air.

"It isn't the most famous word. It is a special word, just one. I don't know exactly what though."

Eric took his hand, stopping and pulled him back into a hug.

"I know the word you are searching for."

Alan turned his face up to Eric's, clarity in his eyes once more. Eric gently placed a kiss on Alan's forehead, whispering

"Hello."


	11. Ringing Bells

**I apologize to anyone Who read this when it just came out. I forgot to edit it, and it was a bit... Messed up. To say the least.**

**Oh, and if anyone would like to request a place for them to be/subject for them to discuss, that would be great.**

* * *

"The bells are ringing."

"What?"

"Can't you hear them?" Alan asked, turning to face his partner.

"Uh... No."

"I suppose they aren't ringing for you, then."

Eric stared at the smaller man before him in stunned silence before replying.

"What do you mean?"

"They are always ringing. Sometimes very softly, other times very loudly. Always there."

"Alan...?" Eric hesitantly reached a hand out to him as he turned back to the forest below him.

"Death bells."

"What did you say?"

"The last sound a soul hears as it departs. Yet they're always right here," he mused, tapping the side of his head.

"Alan, are you saying you're... Departing?" Eric asked quickly, worried.

"No, I suppose it is like the dreams."

"Dreams?"

"Yes, don't you remember? I dream the memories so nobody else has to. Maybe I hear all the bells for them too."

Eric stood in silence before pulling Alan against him.

"Yes, I suppose."

Alan turned to hug him tightly.

"I don't remember what it is to be quiet anymore."

After a moment of silence, Alan whispered "I don't think I would know what to do without the bells. They're part of me now."

Eric kissed the top of his head, and that was enough of a reply for both of them.

"I love you too," Alan mumbled into Eric's shirt.

The unspoken last line rang between them:

I love you just the way you are.


End file.
